When You Were Here

Thank You For Staying And Again...

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

I am sure many of you are curious to know what a typical day in the life of a great man like me is like : what I eat, how I behave, do I snore when I sleep? You are in for a treat today as I shall endeavour to show you what it is like indeed to live a day in the life of a Maharajah.

Neemrama Palace Fort- taken with a digital camera and therefore could not capture the full length of the Palace

They say "A man's house is his castle"

Except that my house is really a castle *chuckles. Seriously now, this is one of the oldest palace in India and the one closest to New Delhi. It is called the Neemrama Fort Palace and was built since 1467 by the direct descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan III after the latter was killed in battle and they fled from Delhi in 1192.

View through a cannon hole in the fort.

The Palace is located 122km on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, high up a hillock, commanding the most magnificent views of the surrounding beauty. You may find it baffling how the Chauhans could think this was a safe enough distance from Delhi. Especially as it was a mere 1 1/2 hour car ride away barring traffic jam. But back in those days when men travelled by elephants and camels and there was no highway or my way, the journey might have taken months. Maybe even years if the elephants were on strike. I will show you what I meant by that later.

Camel resting outside Neemrama Fort Palace at the Camel and Car Park

Car or Camel? Same Same No Difference

But first let me tell you about the Day. I was in Delhi the day before for some party business, the ha-ha champagne type and nothing to do with politics. Since we were unable to get our train tickets for the Shatabdi Express (having been conned four times, ask me in comment and I may tell you), my entourage and I decided to take the car early next morning (i.e. The Day) to Jaipur. By early, we meant 8 am and of course, we ran into the worst nightmare of a weekend traffic jam ever. That was when we decided to stop over at Neemrama Fort Palace.

Keys hung very high up on the wall right after the fort door.

Palace or tribal house, the keys are the same.

Jars of water for a Maharajah's entourage?

Upon arrival, I spotted these jars on the wall facing the fort door. They must be for water offered to a thirsty guest but we did not come for the water. We came for this:

Palace toilet at Neemrama Fort Palace

Now I will have you know that this is not just any toilet. It is a palace toilet and you mustn't expect it to look like the one in your home. The one that a Maharajah uses is really quite splendid.

Firstly there are the flowers, surely they are for quelling any unpleasant odour. And then, notice how the door can be locked from the front? Must be to prevent anyone else from using it. Of course once a Maharajah is expected at the palace, I assume all toilets will be immediately unlocked to prevent a embarrassing situation of the Maharajah having to, heaven forbids, wait in a state of emergency.

Hallway from Fort Door to Palace's Reception Room

The palace is of course more than just its splendid toilets. Once you step inside, you are quickly transported to an entirely different world.

Beautiful iron railings flanking the pathways of the palace

Stairway to stargazing at the Verandah

Samovar against the sky

Be it walking through the baghs (gardens), one of them a Hanging Garden, or meandering from terraces to verandahs, one can't help but be captivated by the ambience.

Stone seat in one of the baghs

with its period furniture

for the children

A prince's play chair in the drawing room

another one

and another

or the adults.

The entourage enjoying the view on a hitchkar

But what is a palace without the works of art? And a Maharajah is surrounded with only the best.

As far as I am concerned though, the true beauty of an Indian palace lies in its ancient facade.

Unapologetic, unabashed, undoing.

In 1947, Raja Rajinder Singh of Neemrana, deprived of his privy purse, moved down to Vijay Bagh as the façade of his Fort-Palace crumbled and its ramparts began to give way. For forty years he tried to rid himself of his liability but there were no takers. Finally, in 1986, the ruins were acquired for restoration and today, Neemrama Fort Palace is amongst India's oldest heritage resort.

Amphitheatre

And so it is that this palace is no longer a Maharajah's lodging. Where once an amphitheatre stood for mighty princes and kings to tame wild elephants, today it is a popular venue for weddings or

picture taking for the tourist

who may dream for that fleeting moment when the picture is snapped that all the splendour is hers....

Well, all sojourns, no matter how good, must end. It was noon already and we had thought if we leave then, we might be in time for tea at Jaipur, the pink city. This was an even wilder dream than the tourist's for no sooner have we left the road, we ran smack into another jam and a

punctured tire.

"I am not a happy harem camper!" says the unhappy harem camper.

Maybe we should have gone with the camel. Speaking of which, do you know that a camel is a highly intelligent animal? They can find their own way through the desert back home and are sometimes used to transport contrabands across borders. And then there are the really special ones, the Maharajah's Favourite who can perform special abilities. Like this one that can swallow a log .

Haha! GOTCHA!

"The picture above was taken when I was yawning, silly!" says the camel.

Finally you are back, Sans! Couldn't wait to see your report with the pictures about your trip! Fascinating! Even the fact that in India they also have SAMOVARS and even spell them the same way as in Russia, :))) Natalia

Your royal highness, thank you so much for giving us common people a little insight in the privacy of such an outstanding maharaja... *deepbow*;O)Sans, thank you so much for this lovely report, it was fabulous right from the beginning down to the snapshot of that log swallowing camel... you're such an outstanding storyteller. Did you ever check if there was a Sheherazade in your family tree? Rats, now I have to wait for the next part... tapping fingers and chewed nails - here I come!

Beautiful, BEautiful, BEAUTIFUL! AAAHHH! Dear Sans! What can I say? You have brought back a little piece of India to share with us! Thank you for showing these photos of your journey! I LOVE the pic of you as the RAJAH...as soon as I saw it I knew we were in for a wonderful Tale told by one of the Best mini-story tellers.... so full of exquisite imagery and Humor! Your eye for Beauty and details.... of the architecture, of the furnishings and the landscape and even the Creatures is Unerring......well maybe not the flat tire pictures..... no, I take that back, even the flat tire pictures shows an eye for color and form and tells the story of hot sweat and dusty disappointment! And every step of the way I am with you! Not a Happy Harem Girl!! Wishing you could hear me shout "Me too!" "Me too!" And I am SO glad there will be more...... You combine the historical with the hysterical in such a wonderful way....I am a humble and enchanted follower of your Journey and can't wait to see where else we get to go.....Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For sharing your beautiful self and your Wonderful stories!

LOL, Your Highness looks every bit the Maharaja in the first pic!! Aiyah, traffic congestion is a scourge everywhere. But if not for the traffic (or restroom stop) would you have stopped at Neemrama ;)

Read some earlier today and returned just now with tea to finish the rest. This is a teaser...your travelogue is not equal to actually traveling, but ALMOST same-same...what a treat! Looking forward to more...

Patty, this post has to be the one with the most pictures. I know vacation pictures are a bore but I got carried away in the wee hours of the morning. This post was supposed to be over 24 hours and I have only posted about 4-5 hours ..hahaha!

Rosanna, don't read the next one either . Wait till after Day 3 (for you and your sick leave and my 3rd instalment) and read them in 1 shot :):). Yes! I may have to write this in 3 instalments. I am boring myself already :)

Sans! Your pictures are amazing! Thank-you for taking us on this journey with you:) I love the 3rd picture- I love pictures when people are looking through doors... It always says 'new begining' to me. Love the camel eating the log...almost as funny as the first pic of you and a mustache! Also love the pic of the wall with the window... Love the age in that wall!! Thanks again for sharing all of these with us... What an amazing trip, huh!!

Absolutely amazing photos and the story along them... I Love the photo of the "Stairway to stargazing at the Verandah" most...it somehow calls me to the stairs and to go up there and have a look!Those "prince's play chairs are so cute...you can almost hear childrens voices... You have had a wonderful start for your journey!Hmm; I became kind of curious, how was the toilet relly behid the doors at Neemrama Fort Palace? ;)

Sans- amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to take pictures- what beauty!!! I love the tricky camel :) I know it is not really the same- but I have just seen an exhibit with items from King Tut's tomb. I would tear up with emotion at the beauty and the age of the items- I'm just not that exposed to that kind of history in my life. I think my hubby was embarrassed-lol :) I cannot even imagine seeing this in person- I don't know if you could drag me away- even the toilet is beautiful! I know I am greedy- but is there more to come?? Please say yes! Thank you Sans for bringing us along!!

I haven't been able to visit any blogs for a while. Missed your so very informative stories. I understand you've been on a trip to India? Will read the story shortly. Just quickly scanned through the pictures first. Thanks for your comment on my blog. Yes, the fair in Arnhem was fantastic. Wish we had a real stop-over in Singapore, so we could meet, but alas, a few hours at the airport is not enough.... :-( Perhaps next time.... Bye for now, Sans

Ewa, I hope you are in the mood for a long story if you want to hear about the tickets :). But I think it is a good lesson for everyone.

I am a big fan of the Shatabdi Express which is a really comfortable express train in India. Punctual, fabulous meals, great scenery. Plus train ride is my fav mode of transport. O yes, cheap too. I learnt this in my 2009 trip to India so I told my friends that we will HAVE TO try and take this train from Delhi to Jaipur, a mere 4 hour journey and guaranteed no jam. We decided that right after we checked into our Delhi Hotel, we would go get a local phone card (a must because India's international call charges are plain atrocious) and then proceed to the train station to book our tickets.

Once we hit the streets from our Delhi hotel to walk towards the phone card shop, a guy started following us. This is common in India for tourists because of touting. Of course many of them pretended that they were just being helpful to tourists and that they really didn't want anything from you.

Anyway, this guy showed us the phone shop and then asked us where we were going next. We didn't want to tell him and proceeded to hail a cab to bring us to the train station. When he heard that we were going to the station, he asked if we wanted to buy train tickets, because if we do, they have shifted the ticketing office for foreigners. I knew that in India, foreigners buy their tickets from a different office on the 2nd floor of the station. He told us it was because the station was undergoing renovation (for the Commonwealth Games, yes , it was still not completed).

So this man "helped us" by telling the cab to bring us to the "correct office". When we reached the "correct office", a man showed us online how all the tickets were already sold and that there were standby tickets only.

We found out after 10 minutes that the office we were brought to was in fact a travel agency who was trying to sell us transport by car. I called my friend in Delhi who is a local lady and she told me that she usually buy her tickets online but I can try the train station because they reserve some tickets there not available for sale online.

So ok, we took an auto rickshaw and reached the train station. On our way to the second floor, a man stopped me and asked for my train tickets, without which we could not go to the 2nd floor. When I told him I wanted to buy tickets, again he explained that the ticketing office has shifted.He even showed us how the ground floor ticketing counter was only selling tickets to the local for current train and not the advance ones etc etc. He then very "kindly" brought us to another auto rickshaw guy, told him where the new ticketing office was and then left. Of course we thought he was telling the truth because he didn't look like he wanted anything from us. And of course, we found out that he wasn't after we were brought to another dilapidated "Government Ticketing Office" that was really another travel agency. 30 minutes after we sat in this shop and almost ready to sign on the dotted line for a vehicle, the man asked us for the total payment. We decided against it as this was not how it was done. They get paid some petrol money on the way and then the balance at the end of the trip. So we told him no and this man then became very rude to us and as good as shooed us out.

By now tired and dejected, we went to a restaurant next door to discuss our next course of action. A guy sitting next to us with a group of friends heard us. He asked me what happened and I told him. "Our friend" shook his head and sympathetically told us "India is a hard country, if you can travel here, you ca travel anywhere. But not everyone is bad, I believe in karma. Why don't I help you? I can show you where the real ticketing office is" "Ok" I said . We went out of the restaurant and he promptly pointed to the very shop we just left, you know the one where the man "chased us out". I told him so and he said "why don't I try to talk to the man again?" OMG! I can't believe this is the same guy who talked about karma!

Ok , this time my friends and I were determined to get to the train station, come hell or high water. This time, nobody, and I mean nobody is going to stop us. We got into our 3rd auto rickshaw and headed to the train station. The driver dropped us off and as we were headed towards the station, someone asked me if I wanted the foreign ticketing office. I didn't say anything so a group of them just pointed toward the direction of another building outside the station , saying that that's the ticketing office . So I walked towards that building but not talking to anyone , not even answering to my friends calling me saying "hey Sue, why are you walking away from the station station???" It was only when I reached the "building" and saw that it was actually a toilet that I realised I was fooled again!

Of course, I heard no end of it from my friends after that :):).

Eventually, we did find the office. It was in the same place it was 2 years ago but this time, the stairs were demolished and the only way up was via a lift. A lift so run down that it looked like it was not working. We got our tickets, not for Delhi Jaipur though and not 1st class but what the heck. And as we left the office and descended to the 1st floor at another exit, there was a sign on the wall warning us against touts who would mislead us into thinking that the ticketing office has shifted!

If I may, I must say you look dashing Maharajah Singh Kapoor Sans :-)At first I thought that it was one of your trick book photos, how amazing to be in the real thing!Sounds like you have had a fantastic journey, and I really liked the yawning camel. Not so big a fan of the misleading touts though, poor you, I hope you didn't have many experiences like that!

Natalia, I love samovars. Always wanted one. In Singapore, we have an equivalent type of samovar used for eating "steamboat" dinners but in Kashmir, they use their samovars to make tea. You can read more if you want here: http://ikashmir.net/culture/samovar.html. I think samovars originated from Russia but yours are much more intricate I think.

Victoria, you are absolutely right! Even a Maharajah will gladly pay an entrance fee just to see the palace if it means a better chance at restoration. By the way, the entrance fee was 500 INR per person which works out to be about USD11. You can set 50% of it off lunch. Of course it is free if you are a guest :). We didn't have lunch cos we had a really big breakfast but that was because we thought we would be in Jaipur by tea time....

Drora! *thousand kisses flying your way for the high praise! But nahhh, I am neither beautiful nor young. The trick is dark glasses. Why do you think the celebs wear them all the time? That's the real reason! :):)

Lady Birgit, thank you for your compliments and now you may kiss my rubied / diamonded/ emeralded /another 4 other gem-med ring :).

You know ma lady, if I am not Maharajah Singapore Sans, I will want to be Scheherazade Sans :):). So clever that girl , with her 1001 tales.

My mum is a great story teller despite the fact that she has never been to school. As children, we used to love listening to her bedtime stories which she retold from memory as she couldn't read. Dad too tells a story really well and I think I come from a family of clowns :). My sisters, brother and I got our sense of corny humour from my dad whom everyone loves cos he always make people laugh. And now , this "gift" has passed on to my nephew Nathaniel.:)

Betsy, I don't know how I am going to go away, after reading your comments, without thinking too highly of myself! Teehee.

But I do agree that I did a damn good job at impersonating a Maharajah.Can you tell that the moustache is in fact my hair ? I had to "paint" in the brows though and "pencilled" my beady eyes to make them look bigger. I still giggle whenever I see that picture. I amaze myself with my own funnyness sometimes( see, its happening already, your highness with a too highly highliness)

Have you ever wondered why they say "Your Highness?" Why is it no one says "my lowness"? Uh-Oh, I am on a hysterical mode again. You know how that mode can grow to historic proportions if I let it :). That's me combining the historical with the hysterical! Did you notice ? Did you? Did you?

Aiyo, Alison, you say "aiyah" too??? I thought only us Hokkien do that :):).

Dearie, what tea are you drinking? Do you know my favourite is Japanese Brown rice Tea? Love the burnt taste. Then masala tea when I am not watching my weight which is never. Then Turkish apple tea (done the Turkish way).Kiva gave me some Hawaiian tea which I have not tried. If I like it,maybe we can swap tea :).

Christine (CW Poppets) , I visited Pakistan about 15 odd years ago and it has taken me more than 10 years after that to visit India. I absolutely love Pakistan (Lahore and Islamabad and Khyber Pass, Peshawar, Miri). Maybe its because that was also where I fell in love :):):).

India is the kind of place where you either hate it or love it. A culture so ancient and deep rooted with such passionate people, I feel there is no half way with India. I think that's also why I love it. :) It also help that I am interested in so many aspects of India because of my dollhouse.

Maria Luisa, I have just replied to your email :). I am sorry it took a while. I now used different laptops at work and at home. My emails are downloaded in 3 different computers , including my handphone. I get confuse sometimes and forget to respond . :):)

I am just thinking if you have enjoyed Thailand , you may find India interesting as well.

Katie, I know you love taking pictures from the travelogue you do sometimes on your blog. :) I am not passionate about photography the way I am about dollhouses but since I started blogging, my pictures have improved. :) I am also influenced by my best friend who takes photography seriously :) .

My favourite picture in this whole series is the one with the window :). For the same reason as you :).

Ana :), if I ever write a book, it will just be all the entries in this blog! Too lazy to start a new one :) and nobody will have to buy it :).

You know for the 1st time in many many years, I actually finished a book, 400+ pages in 24 hours :):). This was the day I was too sick to participate at the ashram so I spent the time reading in my room :). It is the autobiography of the last Maharani of Jaipur, the very beautiful Gayatri Devi and I could not put the book down. :):). Maybe I will do a post on her one of these days :).

Kikka, I tried taking many toilet pictures but the ambience just can't be captured. In a small space , it is very hard to capture in one shot, the impression you get when you first step into the toilet.

This particular one is not so impressive. But my friend walked into someone who did not close the door properly (another toilet in Neemrama) Now that one left a lasting impression in her head ..hehehe..

But the toilet in Devi Ratn (next post from this one) is HUGE! A dream bathroom with loads of wardrobe space. And then there's Samode Palace. Yes , we stayed for 1 night in a Palace! (Supposed to be the 4th post but now I don't know) which is really luxurious and extended even to the balcony/ courtyard etc etc because we were upgraded to the Royal Suite. :).

My toilet is the most important room in my home, after my bedroom. It's also the very 1st room I do up when I first move in :).

Kim , Rajasthan is a place I have wanted to go to since I first started the dollhouse. It really is quite different from cities like Delhi. It is really common to see camels and elephants on the road and the women in their colourful saris are very much how my coffee table books depicted them.

In Jaipur, I went to so many places that I have seen before, in books, movies, photo exhibitions, it is almost surreal :).

And then when I was at the ashram which is situated in the foothills of the Himalayans , I think peace just envelop me from the word go. I definitely want to write about my ashram experience . I hope you will come read it :). I think you will be able to almost share my experience (but I fear my writing may fear me :)) because you have such a sensitive and gentle soul. :)

Egypt is a place I really wanted to visit as well. Of course, now I will have to wait. Do you know I have yet to see a real life mummy?

Dale, I lost 5 kg when I had the operation so I cheated :):) (Days of Convalescence). I am now on my next phase of fitness and aim to lose another 5kg from my own effort. :)

Kim is helping me :):).

India is many things Singapore isn't but I enjoy a bit of chaos and adventure and the unexpected . The good thing about this traffic jam is my discovery of these crackers called "Kukure" (sicy masala flavour- don't think you'll like them :)) which was what we ate for lunch/tea/snack in the car. I could not believe that most Delhi shops do not carry Kukure because I wanted to bring a carton of those home! Tsk tsk!

Helene, apart from that one incident, the trip has been wonderful! That was a humbling experience . For the 1st time, I realised that it is not difficult to con me at all ! :P I think to be conned a few more times to learn. :):)

Yes, isn't it wonderful that I didn't have to use the book trick. In any event, my photoshop abilities are laughable. I won't know how to put myself in front of a book . Unless I make a Sans! doll? But I like my moustache trick :):) if i may say so myself :).

Helene, I hope you read my next post on Devi Ratn. I will really love your opinion on it :)

Margriet :):):), I am afraid I wasn't smart at all, even at the end :). But looking at it in perspective now, what is it that they are trying to get out of us? Only to use car transport instead of the train ?:) It's just that we were tired after going to and fro the train station 3 times ..hehe..and now it is just funny :):)

ME

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These blogs chronicle my journey into the wonderful world of miniatures.
"The Beginning" is the prequel to it all, the one that triggered my obsession with the weird and wonderful world of doll houses.
"My Maharajah's Palace" is a journal of the trials and tribulations en-route to the building of my Indian Palace.
"Projects, Musings & AOB" is like my workroom or scrapbook of anything minis.